Page 65 of Sacred Vow

“Yeah, but it’s frustrating. And then there’s Andrei. He’d probably prefer I remember nothing so he can keep me locked up in his tower.”

“Uh, that penthouse is no prison.” Marlena laughs. “Look, it will come. But I think he’s right. You have to be careful. If you do find out you know something that could put you in danger, you’re going to want Andrei’s protection.”

“Says the girl who won’t let Viktor take her out on a date.” I raise an eyebrow.

“That’s different. Besides, I think one of us having a husband is more than enough. I’ll be able to visit you in your mansions and you can take me out for expensive lunches. It’ll be great,” she teases.

“He’s not my husband.”

“Yet.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t start.” I scoot from the booth. “I have to pee.”

The VIP section has its own set of restrooms, so I don’t to go through the massive crowd. Igor, who is standing at the entrance of the section, says something to the security guard then follows me. This is getting ridiculous.

“You can’t come in here,” I say to Igor when he catches up with me outside the restroom door.

“I’ll stay here.” He presses his back to the wall across from the door.

“Whatever.” I open the door and get in the short line for a stall. No matter how VIP we are, the women’s restroom will always have a line. But it’s moving fast, so I get into a stall quickly.

As I’m adjusting my dress, I hear the girls outside the stall.

“You know, Jimmy would just die if he knew we were able to get in here and got a VIP seat. He’d die!” a high-pitched voice says.

I’ve heard this voice before.

I hurry out of the stall then get to the sinks.

“Jimmy wouldn’t come to a club like this. He likes the corner bar,” the second woman says while washing her hands.

“Yeah. I guess so, but this is fun. I wish he was into dancing,” the first woman continues.

I have definitely heard her voice before. And I was with Craig.

She sounds like she’s swallowed a balloon full of helium.

She catches me staring at her in the mirror and frowns. “Something wrong, hon?”

I shake my head.

“You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She turns away from the sink.

“You just look familiar, that’s all. I can’t place you though.” My voice squeaks almost as much as hers.

She gives a smile of understanding. “Oh, yeah. I get that a lot. I give tours at Lincoln Park Zoo, and I’m on their TikTok account, so you’ve probably seen me.”

I blink. The zoo.

“That must be it. Sorry to be so weird.” I force a laugh and turn toward the sink. The girls go back to their conversation about Jimmy on their way out.

I run my hands under the water thinking about that day, about that voice. We were standing outside the ape house; she walked by with a school group. Craig made his comment about her voice.

Okay, you stay here. I just gotta talk with this guy real quick.

Then nothing. Like the entire memory was sucked back into a black hole.

“Excuse me, can I get a paper towel?” The woman beside me points at the pile beside my sink.

---